Bench depth has often made the difference when the Honey Badgers have won nine of their first 12 regular season games. No team’s second unit has been able to match that of coach Ryan Schmidt’s squad. Guard Alex Johnson is one of those who brings a high-energy brand of basketball to the court every time out.

Schmidt implores his charges to bring aggressiveness, energy, and a willingness to take open shots to the floor. The 33-year-old Johnson brings all of that plus veteran leadership to the CEBL’s youngest team.

Johnson’s resume includes 10 seasons of professional basketball. But perhaps it was his most recent experience playing for Team Canada during the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifiers in Austria during May that elevated his game to an even higher level. Canada won its first two games over the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, but losses to top ranked Latvia and host Austria left the team at 2-2 and out of a trip to Tokyo.

Johnson credits that opportunity for developing his skills at the defensive end and in the transition game. It also helped him bring a physical toughness to his game that full-court basketball hadn’t done for him in the past.

“I improved transitioning from offence to defence just because you don’t really get an opportunity to relax in the three on three,” said the Toronto-native. “It’s so fast paced, it’s always going.”

The rules for FIBA 3x3 are similar to those of ‘street basketball’. Shots made beyond a semi-circular arc of 6.75m from the hoop count for two points, while shots made inside the arc count for one point. The first team to reach 21 points, or whichever team has the most points after 10 minutes, wins the game. There’s a 12-second shot clock, and there are no breaks after a made basket. Typical of the FIBA game seen in the CEBL, FIBA 3x3 is non-stop action.

Johnson led Team Canada in scoring with an average of 6.2 points a game. He also took advantage of competing against some of the top players in the world to learn. He learned how teams like Latvia communicate and move the ball around on the court.

“You start picking up little tips along the way and you take that and apply it to five on five,” he said. “The three on three is more physical, the refs let lots of stuff go. I almost had to tone back once I came back to the five on five.”

The five-foot-10 guard was often matched up against much bigger and physically more powerful opponents.

“To hold my own there gave me confidence to know that in five on five I’ll be okay,” he said. “The Olympic Qualifier was bittersweet I would say. I played really well, but we didn’t qualify for the Olympics. It was definitely a great experience. I was glad I got to put on the Canada jersey and represent my country.”

Johnson is known for his rigorous devotion to fitness, and the Olympic Qualifier helped when the first day of training camp for the CEBL season arrived. It also aided his ability to serve as Schmidt’s floor general when he’s on the court.

“Coming here to the CEBL the game kind of slowed down a bit, I am able to see different reads just from playing in the three on three,” said Johnson.

His ability to jump into the game and quickly score baskets from deep all comes down to his court awareness, aggressiveness, and his ability to find the right spots on the floor

Looking back to Hamilton’s July 21 victory over the Ottawa Blackjacks, Johnson was able to quickly score two transition threes within three minutes of coming on the floor, which helped spark the team to victory. Those kinds of high-energy offensive spurts are exactly what Johnson provides.

Hamilton is currently sitting in second place in the CEBL standings with a 9-3 record. The Honey Badgers chances of reaching their third straight CEBL Championship Weekend is looking more and more like a reality. With two games remaining, keep an eye on Johnson to play a pivotal role in his team’s chances.